I had been in Harlem for a few hours and just hadn’t found anything to shoot. I finally gave up and decided to head back to Soho. After walking a few blocks down Madison Ave ,around 120th street, I see this gentleman – I literally stop in my tracks. I introduce myself and ask to photograph him. He says yes in a voice that sounds exactly like Ray Charles speaking voice. As I’m shooting he is telling me proudly about his community work and an upcoming Harlem bike race he is helping to organize. As I finish shooting I ask him about the suit he is wearing. I guess I was expecting to hear something about how he bought the suit back in the 70′s and has been wearing it every Sunday since then. That is definitely not the story I got.

“I got this suit in 1990, I was dealing drugs then and one of the girls I sold drugs to threw this suit at me as payment. She would usually steal $20 or $30 bucks and give me that but this time she just threw this suit at me”

I can’t make this stuff up, I can only hope to remember it until I can write it down. His story was not hard to remember.

Wow, I don’t know what to say about that other than it caught me off guard that someone as polished as he with the face of everyone’s beloved grandfather sold drugs of all things more than a decade ago.

He’s absolutely dashing. The story and photo prove that proper dressing is less about pricey labels and such, and more about self-esteem. I was struck not by the suit, which is nonetheless lovely on him, but by that amazing face and the inherent dignity in his posture. Simply amazing.

And bravo to The Sartorialist for his excellent eye and robust skills as a photographer. Not enough has been said about the routinely excellent and sumptuous photographs on display here.

please, i just wanna know what you mean by “carpe diem shoes”. English is my third language, that’s why, even though i know the carpe diem “style” in poems, is it just to say that its old yet nice style of shows, just wondering

shocking that there were no other gems in harlem but this makes up for it – 10 folk. ah, if only I could decide which is more memorable, the story or the shoes. the suit and the hat are smooth for days on end…

It definitely looks like a pair of brown shoes that have been turned into two-tones at home with white-out. I don’t think regular white polish cakes on that thick. Great look, though. That hat is a freak.

Harlem man dressing to kill, cleaner then the board of health; Harlem man with his James Brown kind of taylored look a dream lover kind of looking guy. He dressed his ass off and made style a fashion, Harlem man isn’t he fly as sharp as a razor blade’s edge.Harlem is a setting of, and for many delights sure enough clothing is a plus in the sight of the beholder of styles and grace and in that man of Harlem dressed up look you captured it the Bird, The Cat, the Flash at one of its best.

Is this the only guy in Harlem you could find on that day? This is the kind of character that “amuses” the people from foreign lands that come to visit us uptown. What about the Harlem natives who are the investment bankers, lawyers,executives, etc. who are “clean” as a mofo every day? I sit on the bus every dayon my way to work, and see the look of shock on the people who get on the bus further downtown. Yeah, baby, that’s Purple Label.And it didn’t fall off a truck.

this story just made my day!it is amazing!during wonderful days i go to my office (the brewery) out of city through wonderful chestnuts streets, and for next 8-9h. sit here at the promo zone. your shots are my sunny window into the world!with love from kiev,anya